Is a Rollaway Egg Box the Best Nest Box?

Best Rollaway Community Nest Box (Large – 48″)

I believe that every chicken keeper should be aware of all equipment and devices that make this business a reality. With the right knowledge, I feel that everything will go according to plan and the results will be something to behold. That is why the rollaway egg box comes into question and we are going to find out more about it in the following section.

The million-dollar question is, “Is a rollaway egg box the best nest box?” Definitely, it is the best nest box given that its design makes your work effortless. This nest box is designed to keep the eggs safe, make the cleaning of your chicken coop easier and prevent some hens from eating their own eggs after laying.

In the real sense, the rollaway egg box is not essential for your hens but it is a piece of vital equipment for you. This may sound like a joke but here is the reality; your hens have the liberty to lay their eggs anywhere they feel like within your compound.

This means you will have an additional task of walking around, searching the yard, looking around the bush, combing the grassy areas and moving from room to room in a bid to find and collect the eggs.

Of course, no chicken keeper would wish to have this sort of work when there are different types of nest boxes on the market today. For that reason, rollaway egg boxes are the ultimate solution for you if you don’t want to waste your time and effort looking around for eggs.

Rollaway Egg Box-The Best Nest Box for you

Roll Out Poultry Nesting Box for Chickens – 2 Compartment
You can acquire one or several of these nesting boxes or make one on your own. Whichever choice you take, make sure that it serves its purpose in the best way you can imagine. After all, their function is what matters the most as far as chicken keeping is concerned.
So, why should you settle for a rollaway egg box nest box in the first place? Well, this equipment comes with the best features that make it superior to other models. In fact, its roll-out design ensures that the eggs stay safe all the time.
With its fitted curtains, this nesting box stops the habit of egg eating among your flock. This will give you peace of mind anytime, anywhere. Most importantly, the rollaway egg box is simply designed to enable you to remove it from the nesting area when you want to do some clean work.
This way, the rollaway egg box makes your work easier by saving your time and effort for other tasks. That explains why we said earlier that this nest box is essential to you as the kitchen owner rather than the chickens themselves. For that reason, you should make an effort of acquiring one or several depending on the number of hens under your care.
Rollaway egg boxes have other interesting and fascinating features that make your hens feel safe and comfortable. These nesting boxes are safe, quiet, somehow darkened and private much to the delight of your flock.
These positive attributes play a very significant role by encouraging your hens to use the rollways nest boxes when laying eggs as opposed to using hidden places or bushes whenever it is their laying season. Hens, just like human beings need some privacy, especially when it is their time to lay eggs.
So, if you take their nesting boxes in a busy and noisy place with no privacy, it is likely that they will not be comfortable when it comes to laying eggs. In this case, you must consider looking for an ideal location for the rollaway nest box.
That being said, the nesting box should be placed in a location that is safe and fairly dark and not too busy to the point of interrupting your hens. Also, the height of your rollaway box should not be less than 18 inches off the ground but it can be as high as several feet above the floor.
Keep in mind that the rollaway nest box should not be placed at the same height as that for the roosting bars. If you fail to consider this crucial requirement, then you should not be surprised to find your chickens sleeping comfortably in the boxes.
Inasmuch as this is not something to cause alarm on your side, the truth of the matter is that you will find yourself faced with another task of mucking out your next boxes every morning.

How Many Rollaway Nest Boxes Do You Need?

There’s no known formula that you need to use to get the right number of nesting boxes for your flock of chickens. Some people believe that one nest box should serve about seven hens. But most of the chicken owners consider using one box for three to four hens.
These figures are in accordance with what was proposed by the ‘Five Freedoms” as recommended by animal welfare organizations in different parts of the world. In other words, the recommendation regarding this matter states that you need to acquire one nesting box for a minimum of five hens if you truly want your flock of birds to be ‘certified humane.’
Whether you go by the opinions of other like-minded chicken keepers or animal welfare groups. The bottom line remains that you will never have enough boxes for your hens. Much to your surprise, a large number of your hens will always prefer one particular box however much you try to make others look appealing.
That brings us to the question of the ideal size you should have for your rollaway nest box. The standard nesting box designed for chickens such as Sussex, Leghorns, Plymouth Rocks or hybrid layers. They should be at least 12 inches in height, width and depth. As a matter of fact, this size is ideal for average breeds of chickens.
Larger breeds like Jersey Giants need larger boxes. They will require a nesting box that is 12 inches in depth, 12 inches tall and 14 inches wide. But if you keep bantam hens, then you should consider acquiring them a nest box that measures 10 inches high, 10 inches deep and 12 inches wide. These measurements are only suitable for smaller boxes that are designed for smaller hens.

Which Nesting Materials are Suitable for Use?

You need to know the best nesting materials for your rollaway nest box. With plenty of materials available out there, it can be challenging when it comes to choosing the best ones. But that should not worry you anymore now that we have narrowed our search.

Here are a few high-quality materials that you can use in your nesting box.

1. Nesting pads: You can buy them from several hatcheries or look for them from online sources. The most important thing about the nesting pads is that you can wash them just in case. These materials are also cheap but quite effective when it comes to keeping your hens comfortable.
2. EZ-Straw Just Straw Clean Processed Straw
  Straw: This is another example of affordable and readily available materials for your nesting box. Apart from that, the straw stands out as one of the most favorite materials. You can purchase then from your local farm storms or other farmers.
3. Pine shavings: The best thing about these materials is that they are easy to find besides being affordable. You can buy them at a local farm store.
4. Pine needles: One advantage about these materials is that you can acquire. You can get these free from local sources. Make sure you choose the softer ones.
5. Sawdust: Try to find a local sawmill in your surrounding area. You can acquire them freely without paying a dime.
6. Leaves: You can take advantage of their abundance to make your flock comfortable and happy. You can collect these in the fall season in most communities.

Most of these materials are suitable for use in your nesting boxes. You can combine or use them separately in individual boxes. At some point, you may consider adding a handful of fresh herbs to the nesting boxes. This will deter pests and encourage your birds to relax when laying. Herbs such as lemon balm can give your hen a fresh lemony aroma. This strong smell will deter pests while lavender will help them by offering that much-needed relaxation.